My Demonic Ghost: Banished Spirits (4 page)

Winded and bewildered, I coughed and groaned while turning over, clutching around my stomach with one hand as I used the other to prop myself up. My back throbbed with pain as bruises ran up my skin in purple coloured rings. Lock stood on the opposite side of the hallway, his eyes masked by the black smear of charcoal before bursting back into a dark blur and zooming towards me. I slowly started to gain my balance, feeling just a trickle of tears down my cheeks as my hand moved from the tension in my chest to the throbbing pain in my back.

Suddenly, a cold sting erupted through me as the shadow hit me head on, my hand jerking out of my control as my knees gave in and buckled. My entire arm stiffened and all my joints locked, fingers curled into the shape of a claw as my veins popped up among the surface of my skin. I wanted to cry but couldn’t produce the tears, watching as my arm convulsed and mutated itself, twitching and jerking in sharp disturbed movements while listening to the echo of Lock’s burning laughter inside my head. I was sure my arm was going to snap itself in half. The weight of the hidden chains kept dragging me to the ground with each weak attempt to get myself up. My knees were wobbling and my body squirming into distorted poses, my mind swimming uncontrollably as if I was drunk and couldn’t grasp the concept of what was going on. It felt as if my bones were shrinking inside of my body, almost on the verge of breaking.

By pure accident and luck, my arm flung out and knocked the light switch on in the hallway. The burning light poured over me like a heavy, hot blanket. I heard a howl as Lock thrashed inside me, throwing my body back onto the floor before shooting out of me and attacking the light bulb. The darkness fell in tiny glass shards, the light bulb shattering and raining down as the cloud of black fog looped above my head and darted up the stairs.

I was set free for now; able to catch my breath as Mum’s voice kept knocking on the window, asking me what was taking so long.  I answered the door and let her in; I was shaking but not enough for her to notice.

Chapter Five:

With dinner finished and the night already deep in its cycle, I turned over onto my side, my hand tucked underneath my cheek, my eyes open and fully alert. I couldn’t sleep, not with all of these lingering shadows haunting me, and with the episode that happened before, I started to question Lock’s intention again. He looked so young, appeared so fragile and harmless, yet he was capable of twisting my limbs and controlling my will without even a struggle.
What I am to do? I can’t stop him, I can’t do anyth
- I paused, choking on my own words as I looked down, noticing the pattern of my hand. It had wrinkles across the knuckles and my nails seemed to have started rotting, the corners chipping away and snapping right through the middle of the white.

Was I... was I dying? Could this be the end for me already? My heartbeat quickened with suffocating force. It was just an illusion made by the overcast shadows, yet it still caused me to sit up, clutching my hand.
Is this Lock’s work? Am I already decaying? It’s rot! It’s rot!!
Luckily, I was mistaken. Figuring out it was just my overly paranoid mind playing tricks on me; I slipped back underneath the covers. I was so concerned about my own sanity and fate that I was actually driving myself mad. What was worse was the future of Mum, having her here in this trap with me; to watch me the same as we watched dad destroy himself. I couldn’t do it; I needed to stop this, if not for my sake then for hers.

What am I to do?

The next morning I woke up to the soft chirping of birds. The sun was warm and the breeze was pleasant, pushing the tree branches back and forth in a hypnotic sway. Leaning over to check my watch, I saw the time was 11 o’clock am. The household was dead silent. I searched the master bed room for Mum and was surprised when I didn’t walk in on a bump cocooned in layers of sheets. Instead the bed was made; the covers pulled back and tucked in tightly. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, stepping back into the hallway before tiptoeing down the stairs. Mum had already left to fetch more food for lunch and dinner.  I helped myself to yesterday’s supply in the fridge. Most of the curtains were drawn back so that the morning light could sweep inside.

Now that I was alone, I beckoned Lock out of the shadows. I looked up into the corners of the room and called for him softly, “Lock... hey Lock can you hear me?”

Slipping out of a spiral of ash, the young boy stepped forward, standing secluded in the one patch of shadows at the back of the room.

“What?” he spat, his back pushing up against the wall as his large green eyes cautiously darted over towards the sun’s rays. I glanced over at him, and then followed his stare back to the sun, smiling weakly as I noticed him squirm in discomfort.

“You can’t go into the light?” I questioned solemnly.

“No...That’s not it. I can, I just... I hate it.”

“Come on, its fine,” I whispered but Lock remained hesitant. I delicately leaned forward to take a hold of Lock’s arm but my palm slipped through him. Instinctively, I pulled my hand back.  Lock’s eyes immediately dropped to the floor as if annoyed.

“You can’t touch a ghost, idiot.”

Swiftly, I linked my fingers around the cord of the blinds behind him and yanked it open, covering him completely within the silk of the sun. Lock was so immobilized in a state of shock that he didn’t even try to fight back, frozen within the rays as the heat shot over him, lighting up his pale face and causing his vibrant eyes to glow, if possible, even more vivid and wild. I softened my grip on the cord as the blinds dropped shut after only a few seconds, Lock now stumbling back into the shadows and bumping his back into the wall breathlessly.

Laughing, I grinned a toothy smile at him. “You try doing what you did yesterday; I swear you’ll be tan from all the sun light you’ll be getting.” Instead of getting angry and throwing a tantrum he just bit back a frown and looked shamefully to the floor.
Well, he looks like he’s sorry for what he did, I guess.
Whatever he was, he surely wasn’t a monster. “But really, I wanted to talk to you about this whole ordeal.”

Lock kept his mouth closed while I spoke to him, his eyes not breaking connection with mine, like an obedient little puppy. “I need to know what’s going on; I need you to tell me about what you want...”

“We don’t usually talk to the Hosts, but I suppose it can’t hurt,” he mumbled, “I’m trying to get my way into the Third Realm.  I did something bad and now I need to get the Staff so I won’t be punished for it....” He didn’t seem to really understand what he was saying, his forehead scrunching up in concentration.

“The Third Realm?” I questioned softly, straightening my back as I spoke. Always calm, always careful.

“Yeah. You know, where you go when you die.”

“Oh, you mean Heaven?”

“Kind of, but not really. I’m not allowed in Heaven, but I can get into the Third Realm if I get the Staff.”

W
hat could’ve a young boy like Lock possibly have done that wouldn’t allow him to enter heaven?

“So, where is the Staff?” I asked.

“You have to find it, one of the Hunters has it, and you have to beat them to get it.” Lock clenched his fist in enthusiasm, grinning with an arrogant smile while I laughed awkwardly, shaking my head. A smile did suit his face better than a snarl; I was pleased to see such a genuine grin.

“Hunters? What are the Hunters?”

“Just as the name states, they are hunting for us. To take us back to where we belong.” Before I could ask any more questions, Mum walked into the kitchen and dumped two more bags of groceries onto the table.

“Here you go honey, just some more food to tie us over for the next couple of days.”
Next couple of days??
I spun on my heel to face her, Lock already having disappeared back into the shadow; not that he needed to, he was invisible to her eyes, but I suppose he didn’t enjoy her company.

“Why are we staying a few more days, Mum?”

“You’re father had requested that we bury him here, so we’re staying for the funeral.”

“But, but...”

“Now Rachael I know it’s upsetting for you, but this is what he wanted. Plus, this house isn’t so bad once you clean it up a little bit.” My shoulders dropped in failure. I didn’t bother to argue, even if I was to be in this house or back at the apartment in the city, Lock was going to be following me regardless.  Defeated, I sighed and nodded my head.
Only a couple more days.  I can do that. Only a couple more days, and then both Mum and I will be back to normal. Just a couple more-

“It’s such a beautiful day, why don’t you head off and check out the area while I unpack,” Mum insisted, cutting off my thoughts, already digging through the bags and storing the food into the fridge. I mumbled an obedient okay under my breath, dragging my feet up the stairs where I got myself dressed.

I kicked up the leaves across the drive way as I walked, the tail of my scarf tapping against my chest as my tied hair sat in a twisted ringlet down my side. The sky stretched out in front of me further than I had ever imagined; the clouds sprinkled across the blue sky like dashes of smudged paint and the trees huddled beneath, yearning for its warmth.  I followed the verdant lushness towards the main road where I took a sharp right, slipping down the streets in mindless wonder. It was a relief to be finally out of that house. Being completely surrounded by dust, darkness, and other infestations had grown very bothersome.

I re-entered the edge of the bush again, nothing but thick trees sitting in front of me like jail bars, when my ears caught a small giggle coming from my left. Turning my head, I spotted the peroxide blonde curls of a young girl ducking her head out from behind a tree, her face covered by her hand as she snickered, her shoulders shaking as she did. Surprised, I stopped in my tracks abruptly, my eyebrows scrunched down as the stranger started to slip back behind the trees, giggling into her palm the entire time.

“Oh... no wait,” I stretched out my arm, reaching forward, but the girl had already hidden herself back into the forest, and before I knew it I was tracking the trail wisps of the girl’s blonde locks and echoing voice. I ran after her breathlessly, like chasing down the only person who held a cure for a fatal disease. It was strange how I felt compelled to pursue her. I would just catch a glimpse of the girl’s yellow sun dress fanning out behind her, or the bounce of her long curls swinging off her shoulders, as I weaved in and out and around the trees and bushes. Ducking underneath branches and jumping over roots, I tried to gain speed but couldn’t catch up. It wasn’t long until she had disappeared altogether and I was left panting, looking around myself in disappointment.

“Where did she go?” I wheezed, standing in a patch of light that leaked through the gaps in the trees. I was surrounded by chirping and buzzing, the choir of the forest life. I turned around, hands on my hips. In my struggle to collect my breath, I was stunned to see the little girl only a few metres ahead. Standing with her back towards me, her eyes directed forward, watching something off in the distance so intently that she didn’t even flinch when the twigs snapped underneath my creeping footsteps.

“Hey, excuse me...”

Before I could plant my foot a heavy thump exploded into my stomach, sending my body flying into the air and crashing into a tree. The pain erupted only a few moments after impact and I inhaled a harsh breath. It came out of nowhere, the low grumblings of a hideous creature as it dragged its self towards me, drooling and chomping the air with large vicious teeth and powerful snaps of its long jaw. The little girl had disappeared behind the shadowy frame of the monster, its shoulder blades popping out from its scaly flesh so tightly that I could see the sharp edges of its skeleton turning with its movements.

I screamed and kicked back hard against the tree, pulling my head up from the large hind claws to the expanded chest, its large gorilla arms with its knuckles scratched along the ground. On the beast’s head was a deformed mix of a boar and rabbit, its long ears tapering back to a dark greyish brown that continued down its back. Wrinkles were etched permanently across its nose from the constantly snarling and baring of its teeth, its long sabre-like fangs protruding past its lower lip with a large bull ring pierced right through its snout. I wanted to scream but I was stunned into silence, like paralysing venom, as the animal let out a furious roar, tilting its large, thick skull into the air as pools of its saliva poured from its gaping mouth. I had never seen anything like it.

A feathery touch of wind skimmed my leg and without hesitation, a coil of ash spun in front of me. As Lock jumped from its shadowy depths, his arms held out in front of his body with his fists tightening to a fighting stance.

“Stay down,” he ordered as the beast rocked forward, roaring, spit flying from its open jaws. Lock flinched as he was sprayed with the bodily juices and quickly spun his arms into a windmill loop while kicking upwards twice, sending a disk of black shadows slicing through the monster’s belly. A growl erupted from its stomach as it stumbled backwards, using its thick, pillar-like arms to shield its chest before lurching forward in a lunge. With its head lowered, it charged at Lock but was reflected. Lock, jumping into a hover above the ground and spinning out a flying kick, sent out two more dashes of black wind that slammed into the creature’s oncoming head.

“What’s going on?” I screamed as the wind around me grew with speed, whisking anything loose on the ground into the air and oscillating it around into a tornado. Lock dived into the dirt, just barely avoiding a claw that shot out, smashing the tree above my head into a storm of splinters.  I cowered and covered my head as the howls grew louder and more ferocious, Lock now flipping over so he was on his stomach, looking up at me. He had a panicked look on his face which shifted quickly to calculation.

“Over here you big, fat oaf. That’s right you stupid troll, look at me! Look at me!”

Teleporting with two quick bursts, Lock bellowed out at the top of his lungs, mocking and chanting so the creature had no choice but to turn its beady eyes over to him. He punched the air twice, firing two missiles of dark matter, one shooting over the creature’s shoulder and the other smashing into its neck before stretching out a large black shield with his palms, the dark rubber capturing the animal’s powerful punches as it swung its fists madly towards him.  It looked like some sort of beautiful dance; Lock’s movements were swift and agile, every twist and every leap, spin and jump was perfect and avoided each powerful punch the monster threw at him. I couldn’t tear my eyes away for a single second, watching his arms thrust forward as he harpooned power balls from his fists. I lost any sense of fear I may have felt, overwhelmed with awe and absolute wonder, it was like watching a circus act with flaming torches, acrobats and no safety nets or harnesses underneath. A part of me even felt… anaemic. Just as I was watching him spin into a back flip, his spine bending in ways I had only seen cats perform, I felt a vicious slap across my face, a branch shooting past and slicing my cheek, thumping my head so hard that my neck snapped the other way.

I let out a high shriek, cupping my cheek. I caught Lock’s attention as he glanced over at me, fear written across his young face before he too received a powerful hit, knocking him head first straight into the tree trunk. He toppled over in a heap onto the ground; his beaten body shaking under the tremendous strain before collapsing only after a few moments of struggle. He was quiet and still, stretched out like a rug.